Andrew Holmquist

Andrew Holmquist  Gasp  2011 oil on canvas  65" x 55"

www.andrewholmquist.com

Holmquist is an MFA candidate at SAIC. His accomplished paintings have a hit and miss quality to them as he explores the possibilities of paint, narration and abstraction. There is great facility in his hand and his eye for color is spot on. Looking for great things in the future from this inquiring young man.

Ray Yoshida

Ray Yoshida (1930-2009)  Untitled 1970  oil on canvas  approximately  30"x24"

This painting is typical of Yoshida's work of the 70's. His imaginative use of abstracted forms he borrowed from comics, illustrations and folk art were combined to make patterned compositions that evoked an ambiguous narrative. While not part of the "Hairy Who" group, he was very influential to them as well as many other artists that passed though SAIC during his tenure there.

Miyoko Ito

Miyoko Ito  (1918-1983)  Kalamazoo  1959-60  oil on canvas  53.9" x 68.11"

www.vwberlin.com

Ito was one of the painters that made Chicago the place it was in the 60's and 70's. She was the ultimate craftsman and draftsman. Her works were the quiet side of the imagists like Ray Yoshida another trans plant from the west that found a home in the midwest. The shows of hers at Phyllis Kind Gallery in the 70's were always elegant and quirky and looked forward to by many artists as well as collectors. Elegant line and modulated subtle color were a hallmark of her work.

Lesley Vance

Lesley Vance   Untitled (52)  2011  oil on linen  16.5"x12.5"  

www.davidkordanskygallery.com

Merlin James

Merlin James   Tool Gate   1983   acrylic on canvas   24.6"x25.2" 

www.kerlin.ie

Stuart Cumberland

Stuart Cumberland  CMYK-240-2LG  2009  oil and alkyd on linen  94.5"x75"

www.theapproach.co.uk

Fra Angelico

Fra Angelico 1440-42  Mocking of Christ (cell 7) fresco 71.25" x 59.45" 
Convento di San Marco  Florence, It.

When I saw this group of frescos at the Convento di San Marco in Florence a few years back I understood why Fra Angelico was so important to so many artists. The experience was not only eye opening but extremely emotional on so many levels. Should you find yourself in Florence, do not miss the chance to visit and contemplate these wonderful frescos and paintings.

Benjamin Butler

Benjamin Butler  Dark Tree 2008  oil on canvas  48"x60" 

www.lorareynolds.com

Jackie Saccoccio

Jackie Saccoccio  Portrait: Insist  2013  oil and mica on linen  106"x79"

www.jackiesaccoccio.com

Saccoccio's painting is exuberant and beautiful. She develops the painting by pouring layers of oil paint and mica in the middle of the stretched linen and turning it as the paint dries. I like the performative aspect of the work and the unusual "drawing" effects she achieves during the process. She seems unafraid to destroy elements of beauty to gain the ultimate statement she is after.

David Reed

David Reed  #601 2006-2011 oil and alkyd on polyester  102"x34"

www.davidreedstudio.com

David Reed is a painter originally from San Diego and now living in NYC. His body of work is amazingly consistent over the past 40 years. His investigations into the process of painting have yielded beautiful and mesmerizing works that sometime take years to finish. Many paintings have been over painted and redefined over time. The luminosity of the color seems to glow from within when experiencing each piece.

Patrick Caulfield

Patrick Caulfield  (1936-2005)  Still Life With Dagger  1963  household paint on hardboard  48"x48"

www.tate.org.uk

Another English artist that develops extraordinary compositions with an eye toward the graphic is Patrick Caulfield. Like Winkfield he used unusual combinations of objects and abstract forms outlined with a cartoon line to define the imagery. Similar to each other yet each uniquely different.

Trevor Winkfield

Trevor Winkfield Voyage IV  1998  acrylic on linen  45.5"x61"

www.tibordenagy.com

One of the few painter/writers that has succeeded at both. His pop inspired oblique narratives are a joy to experience.